A Stray Spark
by Nephalos
Summary: Summoner Nephalos happens upon Ezreal, as he formally enrolls as a Champion at the Institute of War, and a few sparks fly between them. (Male OC x Ezreal. M for safety/future events. Formerly titled "A Chance Meeting")
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Chance Meeting

It had been a long day for me at the Institute, and I could feel a layer of sweat under my summoner's robes. Normally I was a confident person, but at this moment, I could only focus on the potential surcease of bathing in the hot springs. But alas, such relief seemed far distant.

The High Council wanted a full report from me on my latest match. Like all of their other reports, they wanted it presented verbally, and in person. With all of the hextech techno magic today, you'd think they would've adapted. But no. They were stuck in the Rune Wars era. I sighed, running my hands over my face and through my chaotic mass of black hair. To add to it, the marble bench outside the Grand Council's chambers granted me little reprieve. Even through my pants and the robes that were standard for summoner's, the cold that emanated from deep within the stone of this whole building chilled my skin.

"Hey, are these the chambers for the High Council of Summoners?" A curious male voice said. Tenor. I wasn't familiar with it, but I didn't really care to know who it was.

Without a glance upward from the confines of my hood, I said, "You're in the right place."

"Alright. I told that guard I wouldn't need a map. Do you mind if I sit here?" The voice asked. I didn't bother nodding, instead gesturing with an open hand.

"Thanks," he said, sitting next to me. I heard the sound of booted feet and more than a few belts as he sat down next to me. Not a summoner. I glanced upward, seeing a wild mass of blonde hair, blue eyes, and some kind of face paint. He smiled at me.

"Hey," he said. Damn, he was attractive. Close to my age, too, probably around twenty; slightly younger than me.

Suddenly the irritation that had burdened my thoughts and the skin under my robes seemed more bearable, and I couldn't help but return the smile, hoping I looked at least half presentable.

"Hello. You aren't a summoner. Why are you..?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Oh. I've been summoned for a while now. I was tired of being summoned at random, so I decided to enroll as a champion formally. I'm Ezreal," he said, extending his right hand. I noticed that it was gloves. However, the glove on his other hand was the one that caught my eye. It was basically a gauntlet, housing some kind of large pendant or gem on the back of the hand.

"It's rude to stare, you know," he said, looking at me with skeptical eyes and a half grin. I laughed nervously.

"Sorry. Yeah. Nice to meet you, Ezreal. I'm Nephalos. I'd tell you what I am, but you likely already know. So... you're a champion, then?" I asked.

"Well. Officially, I will be soon. I guess. What nation do you represent, Neph? Can I call you Neph?" He asked. Neph. Outside of my girlfriends from school, no one had called me that name.

"Sure. I'm from Zaun," I said. Ezreal's face immediately soured.

"At least you aren't from Noxus. I hate those guys," he said.

"The disputes of nations should have no bearing on the relations of individuals. I'm hardly a nationalist," I said. Seeing his smile returned forces the corners of my own mouth to turn upward.

"A man after my own heart. Why haven't we played a match together before?" he asked. He crossed his leg over his knee nonchalantly. He used the motion to mask his true intent - moving closer - but I noticed.

I removed my hood from around my face. The feeling of coldness had subsided with Ezreal's proximity. The way he was looking at me... I had to make a move.

"Hey, there's a few former Summoners from the Freljord who opened a cafe here... Would you like to go with me after your meeting?" I asked. I was blushing. The heat had risen to my face - there was no doubt. Despite Ezreal's face paint, I could tell that he was experiencing a similar sensation.

"I'd like that," he said. Then he put his hand on mine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My gaze found his, and I saw the reflection of my own hazel pools in his impossibly blue, beautiful eyes.

The marble door grated open beside us, interrupting our flirtatious encounter, and a man in heavily decorated summoner's robes walked out. Ezreal's hand and mine flinched away from each other before we looked toward the man.

"Ezreal? The Council will see you now. Summoner Nephalos, you'll be next," he said with a nod.

The Prodigal Explorer stood, gave me a wink, and walked into the chamber.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello readers! I took some liberties with the vague nature of hextech technology in this chapter. I think it worked out decently well.

* * *

Chapter Two: Distraction

"Summoner Nephalos, please proceed," the High Councilman said with a gesture. Given the atmosphere and aesthetics of the room, it was usually easy to focus on their words. My earlier meeting made things more difficult, thinking about the softness of Ezreal's appearance, and our proximity.

"I believe that's everything to report, Council," I said with a respectful bow. I ran through all of the events in my head one more time, not recalling anything else that needed to be discussed.

"Very well. Thank you, summoner. You're dismissed," they said, giving me a dismissive wave toward the door.

 _Thank the Gods_ , I thought, walking back toward the door. It took awhile to reach the exit - the long and rectangular hall is purposefully constructed to aid in reflection. Long, marble halls flanked by columns and the flags of the disparate nations represented by the Institute of War were intimidating. But the open space also had a terrible echo. I could hear Ezreal from here. Talking with someone - a feminine voice.

I opened the door, seeing my new blonde- haired friend speaking to someone I was already familiar with: the Lady of Luminosity. They were standing close to each other, and her hand was present on his arm. They were both smiling, and Lux was showing Ezreal something on her hextech communication device. I wasn't surprised to see it with a white and gold case, complete with some kind of Demacian runic charm hanging from a corner buy a silver chain. It fit well with her usual outfit. White and gold jewelry accenting her navy bodysuit, sans her usual battlefield armor.

"Hey, Neph. This is Lux," Ezreal said, separating himself from Lux so that he could give me a half-hug. Then he gestured between Lux and I.

"Lux, this is Summoner Nephalos," he said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. I know of you, but we haven't met in person. Do you prefer Lux, or Luxanna?" I asked shaking her hand.

Lux responded, "I think I remember seeing you the other day. Lux is fine."

She adopted a caricature of a high Demacian accent, " 'Luxanna' makes me sound like I'm being summoned by royal decree," she said, laughing. Many summoners had told me they found her laugh annoying, but I found it cute.

I winked at her, "Right. I'll stick with Lux."

She put her large hexcomm device into her back pocket and looked between us.

"Neph invited me to that Freljordian cafe, but I can send you a message later," Ezreal gestured to the strange device affixed to the back of his glove. If he had reworked his hexcomm into a glove, then he was far more talented than I had originally inferred.

Lux nodded, "Oh, right. Okay, I'll catch you later."

She approached me for a parting handshake. I obliged her, and then she gave Ezreal a half-hug.

"It was nice to meet you, Lux," I said to her as we parted ways.

"You too," she said, walking away from Ezreal and I. The monastic style of the Institute of war meant that the vast gardens in the inner cloister prevented us from seeing her direction after only a few yards.

I removed my own hexcomm device from my robe. It was similar to Lux's, only black.

"Do you mind if I get your hex code?" I asked, handing it to him. He palmed it and smiled warmly.

"Sure!" he said, creating his own contact page.

"Ezreal Rimore," he said as he entered the text. Then he sent a message from my hexcomm to his own, which caused a shimmer and a vibration in the device on his glove.

"And your full name?" he asked me, awaiting to input the appropriate information. He handed me back my hexcomm.

"Terenius. Nephalos Terenius," I said, watching as he manipulated the waves of light projected above the strange amulet on his glove. Whatever this thing was, it was more than a mere piece of hextechmaturgy.

"Did you make that…?" I voiced my curiosity, and Ezreal looked up and smiled at me. It would take a while to get used to those blue eyes and the swaying of his blonde hair. I gestured for us to walk toward the cafe.

"Yes and no," he said, walking along with me, "I found the amulet in a tomb when I was exploring. It was meant for a being much larger than a human, but one that had been long dead. I was able to rig this glove to contain its power and adapt it for many uses. As far as I know, this is the only hexcomm that runs on arcane power."

"I'm impressed. My techmaturgical knowledge is pretty much limited to sending a hex message," I admitted with a laugh.

"That's okay. Your hair is way cooler than mine. I was considering dyeing mine blue as well, but how do you get that to work? Does it fry it?" he asked, reaching out and lightly drawing back my hood to expose my blue locks. I blushed slightly at his unexpected touch and fiddled with my hair, idly checking to see if my style had been preserved.

"Your hair would probably be perfect for it, actually. If you have dark hair, then you have to bleach it first. That's where the damage can come from. And if you don't bleach it light enough, it can turn green. Bleh…" I said, speaking from experience. Luckily now I had perfected it with time and experience.

Ezreal laughed, "Maybe I'll have you dye my hair sometime."

The cafe loomed large ahead of us. Amid the statuesque polish of the Institute, this place seemed comically out-of-place. It was a building constructed in the style - or at least, decorated in the style - of an old Freljordian hunting lodge. The skins of massive beasts, their bones, and other trophies of the hunt dominated the space.

"I'd like that," I said, opening the door for him. He pressed past me, but seemed to hesitate the moment he stepped inside.

I followed, raising a brow. Then I heard it. Lux, at a table against the wall, laughing with a group of three female summoners. She saw Ezreal and paused, giving him a sheepish look and gesturing to those around her. He gave a halting wave and then walked with me over to one of the only open tables, on the opposite side of the cafe.

As soon as we had sat down, a waiter wearing a fluffy hat that could only have been made from some kind of animal approached us. Two menus were laid between us.

"Can I get you both something to drink?" he asked.

"I'll take a vanilla chai tea," I said absently.

"And you, Explorer?" The waiter prompted.

"Oh. Yeah, I'll have the same," he nodded, and the waiter was off.

"You like vanilla chai?" I asked.

"Oh, is that what you ordered?" He asked, thankful. My concern was doubtlessly displayed on my face.

"Ez, do you and Lux have… a history?" I attempted.

He blushed heavily and cast his gaze at the woodgrain on the table. His hair obscured his eyes.

I reached out and put a hand on his wrist. Before I could open my mouth to respond, he finally revealed his thoughts.

"Before I met you, I told myself I would ask her out. Now I'm not sure what I should do, really," he said.

 _Damn. I couldn't just have something go right for once? Now I'm left between two bad decisions._

"You should ask her out, Ez. There's no reason we couldn't be friends. And you still owe me that match," I said. I feigned a smile, and Ezreal glanced up, hopeful.

"You wouldn't mind?" he asked me.

I shook my head and pushed that smile to its forced limits. Ezreal glanced between me and Lux, managing to give her a wave.

I nearly slipped into the same pose he had just recovered from - averting my eyes in disappointment - but Ezreal's hands on mine brought me to attention.

"I'm sorry, Neph. If you didn't want to hang out, I guess I'd understand. But I think I'd like that," he said, moving toward me. I felt his lips press against my cheek, and then the subsequent heat rising to my skin.

I was stunned for a moment, as he slipped back into his chair.

"O-Oh, I think I'd like that a lot. But for now, should we talk about that match?" I suggested.

"Sure!" Ezreal said. Our beverages had arrived, and I took a sip of the comforting liquid. As always, the relaxing notes of cinnamon played over the vanilla and natural flavors pleasantly.

"Right. I have a match tomorrow. I usually prefer the middle lane. Tell me about your build variations, perhaps?" I asked.

Ezreal's eyes seemed to indicate that his thoughts were elsewhere entirely, but he responded in kind.

"An ability power focused build would be most suitable for mid-lane, I believe…"


End file.
